Introduction to Physical Anthropology – Lab 6 Exercises PDF (2025)

Lab 6: Bones of the Skeleton

Exercise 1: Cranium
Work in a small group or alone to complete this exercise.

PART A
Refer to the skeletal material provided by your instructor (or the photos of a human
cranium in the Lab 6 Exercise Image Library on p. 172). Some of the major bones of the cranium
have been assigned numbers. For each number, provide the appropriate bone name in the
space below.

1. Temporal bone
2. Mandible
3. Maxilla
4. Parietal bone
5. Occipital bone
6. Frontal bone
7. Zygomatic bone




PART B
Refer to the skeletal material provided by your instructor (or the photos of a human
cranium in the Lab 6 Exercise Image Library on p. 172) and label (or identify) the following key
features of the cranium:

1. External auditory (acoustic) meatus
2. Mental protuberance
3. Mastoid process
4. Alveolar process
5. Foramen magnum
6. Occipital condyle

, Exercise 2: Dentition
Work in a small group or alone to complete this exercise. Refer to the skeletal material
provided by your instructor (or the mystery animal dentition in the Lab 6 Exercise Image Library
on p. 172) to calculate the dental formula for the animal and write it in the space below.

Dental formula: 2.1.3.3




Exercise 3: Vertebral Column
Work in a small group or alone to complete this exercise.